A New Player In the Game
by Elizabeth Anthony-Ashley
Summary: The continuing story of Amarantha McMahon-she’s pregnant, and things are starting to heat up in the McMahon family. Ama and Shane pull their old friend JP (Triple H) into the mess, with disasterous results. (Sequel to "Family Ties That Bind") contains


  
  
A New Player In the Game--Story Two of "The Amaranth Series"  
  
  
Amarantha put her hands on the cold tile of the bathroom floor and retched up everything she had eaten for dinner the night before,   
along with her midnight snack. Her cheeks were flushed, her face was covered in perspiration, the room was spinning-she was   
sick-morning sick.  
  
After flushing the toilet, Amarantha collapsed onto the floor, pressing her cheek to the ground. It was only seven o'clock in the   
morning, and already she was sick. She had been having morning sickness for three long weeks. Nearly two months had passed   
since she had discovered she was pregnant. Nearly two months had passed since she and Shane had-ended their relationship.   
Nearly two months, she had been in agony, experiencing every single symptom that came along with pregnancy.  
  
To top it off, she was pregnant with Shane's baby-her brother Shane.  
  
It sounded worse than it really was. Shane isn't really my brother, she kept telling herself every time she had to run to the bathroom   
to keep from making a mess in the hall. I'm not really going to give birth to my little brother or sister in nine months.  
  
Nine months--it sounded like forever. I'm going to be carry around something inside my body for NINE MONTHS!! Jesus Christ,   
what in the hell were we thinking!?! Amarantha got up every morning and looked at herself in the mirror, trying to imagine what she   
would look like when she was farther along in the pregnancy. None of her clothes would fit. She would look like a whale. I'm 18   
years old, and I'm pregnant with my adopted brother's baby! She thought this every single day. She could have been guest of the   
year on Jerry Springer: I'm an 18-year-old pregnant with my brother's baby-the heir to the McMahon millions and the WWF!  
  
Amarantha put her hands over her face as another wave of nausea swept over her. Once it had passed, she exhaled deeply. There   
was something worse than the fact that she was pregnant with Shane's baby. Something worse than the fact that she would never   
see the inside of a college dorm room. Something worse than the fact that she was going to be a mother.  
  
They still hadn't told Vince about it.  
  
And they weren't going to tell him, either. Not until Amarantha was being rushed to the delivery room, if she could help it.  
  
How could I tell him? **Oh, guess what, Daddy? I'm pregnant, with Shane's baby! You're going to be a grandfather!** The thought   
of what her father would say made Amarantha's stomach churn worse then the smell of coffee that sent her bolting for the bathroom. It would be the end of she and Shane's lives in their father's eyes. They would be out of the family. That's it-no action after the cameras stop rolling. The final curtain would fall on them both.  
  
Amarantha smiled. She could deal with her father's alienation of them if she had to, and she would probably have to by the time it   
was all over. She didn't care. All it took was the look on Shane's face after he had found the present she had left him and came   
searching for her. It was a look of the most sincere joy she had ever seen. Amarantha was giving Shane what he wanted most in   
the world, the thing that Marissa, that evil heartless bitch, had taken away from him. She only hoped that it would be a boy so   
Shane would have someone to carry on the McMahon name after he was gone. Shane was the heir apparent (until Vince found out   
about it, of course) but Shane needed an heir himself. A healthy baby would be enough, Amarantha knew, but deep in her heart,   
she wished for a boy.  
  
"Amarantha, are you all right?" Vince's voice called from the opposite side of the door.  
  
Amarantha shot to her feet, swaying a little as the dizziness fell over her. "Yes, Daddy, I'm fine. I just felt a little sick."  
  
"Maybe we should take a trip to the doctor, Princess," her father replied. "You haven't been feeling well for a few days."  
  
A trip to the doctor would be like Amarantha wearing a sign that read 'I'm pregnant, and it's Shane's baby! Please, Dad, kick us out   
of the family!' "No, Daddy, I'm okay. Really, it's just a little nausea. It's gone now. I'll be downstairs in a minute."  
  
"Okay, Princess, if you're sure," he answered.  
  
Once she was sure Vince was gone, Amarantha unlocked the bathroom door and crept silently down the hall to her room. She   
quietly shut the door behind her, then crossed the room and flopped on to her bed. She looked at the telephone sitting on the   
bedside table. There was a piece of paper with a telephone number scrawled on it, the number where Shane could be reached if   
she needed him. He was in California on business for New Media. He had been there for a week, and Amarantha missed him   
terribly. She knew that he was due back the next day, but she couldn't resist the urge to call him.  
  
As the telephone was ringing, Amarantha realized that California was four hours behind Connecticut, making it three in the morning   
where Shane was. She was about to hang up when the other end of the line answered.  
  
"Hello?" Shane's groggy voice said.  
  
"I'm sorry, Shay," Amarantha apologized. "I forgot that you're four hours behind us. I didn't mean to wake you up so early."  
  
"No, it's okay," he replied, sounding a little more awake. "I wasn't really sleeping. I haven't gotten much sleep at all this week."  
  
"Poor baby," Amarantha replied, teasing him.  
  
"Speaking of, is everything all right? How are you feeling?" Shane asked.  
  
Amarantha rolled her eyes. "Same old thing. I'm awake right now because I woke up nauseous. I swear, I don't think that I've gone   
a single morning without throwing up everything. It's getting harder to keep Dad from wondering what's going on, Shay."  
  
"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Shane replied. "Don't worry. I'll think of something."  
  
"You always do, big brother. You always do."  
  
They talked for a few minutes longer until Shane started dozing off, so they said their "I love you's" and their goodbyes, and   
Amarantha laid back down in her bed, feeling much better.  
  
  
  
  
"Amarantha, Hunter is here!" Vince's voice called from the downstairs foyer four hours later.  
  
Amarantha rolled her eyes. Why do they always insist on calling him 'Hunter?' His name isn't 'Hunter!' "I'll be right there!" she   
yelled in response.  
  
Hunter--JP was taking her to brunch, though Amarantha had more on her mind than just eating a meal over friendly conversation.   
Before grabbing her purse, Amarantha paused to check her reflection in the mirror. Every hair was in place, every spot of make-up   
was perfectly applied, but somehow, she just didn't look right. I'm probably gaining weight right now, she thought. She shook the   
thought out of her head and headed downstairs.  
  
"Ama, you look lovely as always," JP said as she hit the last step.  
  
"Thank you," she replied, blushing slightly. "Are you ready to go?"  
  
He nodded. "Pops has agreed to let me have you for two whole hours. Isn't he generous?" JP cast a sideways glance at Vince   
who was standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the foyer.  
  
Vince glared at him. "Attitude like that will get you nowhere with me."  
  
Amarantha smiled, walking over to him. "Somebody is grouchy today. Don't worry, Daddy. We'll be home right on time, I swear."  
  
"All right," he replied. "Just be careful."  
  
"Come on, McMannequin, it's me that we're talking about," JP said with a cheesy grin.  
  
Vince rolled his eyes. "Exactly."  
  
Amarantha let the remark slide and kissed her father on the cheek. "We'll see you later, Daddy. Don't worry too much."  
  
Vince shook his head as they went out the front door, heading for JP's black Porsche convertible parked beside Amarantha's   
beloved purple Jeep. He opened the door for her like a true gentleman, then went around to the other side, climbed in and pulled   
his sunglasses from the glove compartment.  
  
"Are you ready to roll?" JP asked, looking at her over the expensive frames.  
  
Amarantha nodded, hoping secretly that she wouldn't get the urge to throw up all over JP's spotless leather seats.  
  
  
  
  
"Okay, Glimmer, why did you really want to see me for brunch?" JP asked as he finished his glass of orange juice. "It's not every   
day that you call me up asking me out to eat."  
  
They were sitting in Amarantha's favorite restaurant café in downtown Greenwich. Amarantha had ordered pancakes, the same   
thing she always ordered, but hadn't been able to eat more than two bites before the nausea swept over her again. Thankfully, she   
didn't have to excuse herself, and instead just sat sipping her glass of grapefruit juice watching JP enjoy his meal.  
  
She had to smile. JP always managed to pick up on the small details and find out when she had a hidden agenda. "You're right, I   
didn't want to see you just to share a meal." She leaned forward, grabbing his hands. "JP, you're one of my best friends. You   
know that, don't you?"  
  
He nodded. "You're one of mine, too. So, what's up?"  
  
Amarantha took a deep breath. She was about to share something with JP that she had never told anyone. She and Shane had   
decided not to tell anyone about what had happened between them, and Amarantha had no problems with keeping that straight   
until now. Time was running out for she and Shane, and she had to do something.  
  
"I need to tell you something," Amarantha began, holding his hands tightly. "The thing that I need to tell you may not be something   
that you want to hear, but I have to tell you because you're the only one who could possibly understand. You have to listen, JP, no   
matter how badly it hurts or how much you don't want to hear it. You have to listen, for me."  
  
JP nodded. "Ama, whatever it is, you can tell me."  
  
She smiled, then proceeded to tell him everything that had happened between her and Shane. That first night, how Shane stumbled   
in drunk the next night, the secret that Shane had told her about Marissa and the baby, and how they had decided to just forget that   
it had ever happened. Instead of getting angry or trying to put his two cents in, he merely sat, with his hands in Ama's, and   
listened, nodding everyone once in a while to show her that he understood what she was saying. When she had finished with the   
big secret about the pregnancy, JP exhaled and sat back in his chair.  
  
"Shit, Ama. This is heavy," he mumbled, running his hands through his hair.   
  
Amarantha scoffed. "You're telling me. I don't know what to do, JP. We can't tell Daddy."  
  
"No, that wouldn't be a good idea," JP agreed. He sat silent for a moment. "All right, so what can I do to help you?"  
  
Amarantha smiled. He was reacting exactly the way she had planned. "Well…"  
  
"I don't like the sound of that 'well…'," he groaned. "Something tells me you've had a plan involving me all along."  
  
She bit her lip. "Well, sort of, but I don't want you to think that I've been plotting to involved you all along. I've thought about this a   
lot, and if there were any way that I could do this on my own…"  
  
"Just tell me," he interrupted, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. He put his head in his hands and listened as   
Amarantha laid out the plan for him.  
  
She had been thinking about it for days. "If I were to tell Vince that I was pregnant with Shane's baby, well, you know what that   
would mean. But, if I were to tell him that I was pregnant with anyone else's baby, he might not be so upset."  
  
JP stared at her sideways. "What are you getting at, Ama?"  
  
"If Daddy thought that I was seeing someone for the last couple of months, and I somehow turned up pregnant, it might be a little   
less devastating than if I were to tell him it was Shane's baby," she continued, lowering her voice.  
  
JP sighed. "All right, I'll do it."  
  
Amarantha's grew wide. "What?"  
  
"I'll do it," he repeated, leaning back in his chair again. "I'll tell Vince that you and I have been seeing each other behind everyone's   
back, and that it's my baby you're pregnant with, not Shane's."  
  
"Oh, JP, you aren't just jerking me around, are you?" Amarantha asked, her hopes soaring. "You're really do it? You'd do that for   
me?"  
  
He smiled and nodded. "For you, I will, and only for you. If I didn't care about you so damn much, I'd say fuck both of you and let   
Vince find out for himself."  
  
"You don't know how much this means to me," Amarantha whispered, grabbing his hand again.  
  
"Yes, I do," JP replied, flatly. "It could mean my career. It will definitely mean any future relationship I might have had with Vince,   
if he doesn't have me deported or something. He's not going to be happy about this, Ama. No matter what you do, he's gonna be   
very pissed for a very long time."  
  
Amarantha's shoulders sagged and her head dropped. "I know. That's why this is so hard. I have to do something, JP. I can't let   
Shane get in trouble with Daddy."  
  
"It's as much his fault as it is yours," JP replied, tilting his head to the side. "You must really love him."  
  
She nodded. "I do, in every way possible, ways that I shouldn't." She took a deep breath. "So, when do you want to tell Daddy?"  
  
"I think that we should wait until Shane gets back from California," JP answered, picking up the check that the waitress had   
discreetly dropped off in the middle of the conversation. "He needs to be there so he can know about it. Have you mentioned this   
crazy idea to him?"  
  
Amarantha shook her head. "Not yet. I was going to call him as soon as I got back from meeting with you. He's not going to like   
it, though. Shane has always been a firm believer in accepting the consequences of his actions, no matter how bad."  
  
"Yeah, well, you tell him that I'll kick his ass if he doesn't like this idea," JP said with a smile.  
  
Amarantha chuckled, then sighed and smiled at him. "You're my savior, JP."  
  
He stood up, pushing in his chair, then extended his hand to help her out of hers. "I know, Ama. I know."  
  
  
  
  
"No, Ama, I am not going to let you get Hunter involved in this so he can take the fall for me!" Shane roared that night as she called   
and told him of her plan and how it involved JP. "I'm a grown man, Ama. I have to learn to deal with my own fucking problems   
without someone always coming and getting me out of it."  
  
"Shay, we don't have much of a choice," Amarantha tried to reason with him, cradling the telephone to her ear. It was three in the   
morning, and she was absolutely exhausted. She had stayed up to call Shane and had hoped that he would be more receptive to   
what she had to say than he currently was. "We're running out of time. Unless you can think of something better, JP and I are   
going to tell Daddy as soon as you get back."  
  
"Fuck," he muttered. She could tell he was frustrated. "Don't do anything until I get back. We'll talk about this more when I get   
home. My flight leaves at 6 a.m. I'll see you when I get home, and then we'll figure this shit out somehow."  
  
"I love you, Shay," Amarantha whispered.  
  
"I love you, too, little sis," he replied distantly and then hung up the telephone.  
  
Amarantha sat in the darkness of her empty room after replacing the telephone receiver. Now Shane was upset with her. There's   
nothing else that I can do, she thought, laying down on her pillow. It has to be this way, for my sake, for Shane's sake, and for the   
baby's sake. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, hoping for pleasant dreams.  
  
An hour later, she still hadn't fallen asleep and could only think of one thing to do. She picked up the phone, dialed Shane's   
number from memory and waited for him to answer.  
  
"What is it, Ama?" he said immediately after answering.  
  
"I can't sleep," she whispered.  
  
"Neither can I," he replied.  
  
"I wish you were here," she said, crawling under the covers. "I can always sleep when you are here."  
  
"I wish I was there, too, believe me," Shane answered. "Have you thought about any names for the baby?"  
  
"Yeah, but I don't think that you will like them," she replied, twisting the phone cord around her finger. "They're a little bit strange."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that," he responded.   
  
"You go first," Amarantha insisted.  
  
"Fine, I'll baby your foolish insecurities this time," came Shane's reply. "Well, Shane Brandon McMahon Jr. did come to mind, but   
I think that I'd rather go with something more original, like Caden or Cage. I've always liked Cage as a name."  
  
"We are assuming, you realize that this is going to be a boy," Amarantha interjected. "What if it's a girl?"  
  
"Well, in the unlikely event that it is a girl, I like the name Hannah and I like Gabrielle," Shane replied, playfully. "I have full   
confidence that it is going to be a boy, however. Now, you go. I told you mine."  
  
"Okay," Amarantha sighed. "I remember what hell I went through trying to learn to spell my name in kindergarten, but I just couldn't   
help it. I had to pick some crazy ones."  
  
"Like what?" Shane asked impatiently.  
  
"Well, for a boy, I like Garren and Halen, and I even thought about Vincent…"  
  
"Oh, wouldn't that be an ego trip!" Shane replied, laughing. "My first born son named after my father!"  
  
"It might soften the blow a little bit," she joked. "And for a girl, I like Kersey and Rhiannon, but I like the names you picked out, too."  
  
"Those are all very nice names," Shane replied. "How will we decide?"  
  
"I think that when I'm in labor, it will just come to me in a flash of…"  
  
"Labor pains?" Shane offered. Ouch, she thought. The eternal and always running scoreboard read Shane 1, Amarantha 0.  
  
"You're hilarious, Shay," Amarantha snapped. She yawned. "You know, it's finally happened. Talking to you has made me   
bored enough to go to sleep." Ding! Shane 1, Amarantha 1.  
  
"Hey, now," he replied defensively. "That may be the case for you, but now I'm wide awake."  
  
"Maybe if you sing to me, it will help us both get to sleep," Amarantha suggested.  
  
"I knew it! I knew you had some hidden agenda!" Shane replied, his voice rising in pitch. "Oh, all right."  
  
"Thank you, Shay," Amarantha cooed, snuggling against her pillow.  
  
"Just make sure that you hang up the phone as soon as you wake up," Shane replied, "or else, we're going to have one monster   
phone bill."  
  
"I will," she answered sleepily.  
  
Shane cleared his throat. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he grumbled.  
  
"You're only doing it because you love me," Amarantha said, yawning again.  
  
"That's right, and you only listen and pretend that I sound half-way decent because you love me," Shane replied.  
  
"Right," she answered.  
  
"Goodnight, Ama. I'll see you tomorrow," Shane whispered.  
  
"Goodnight, Shay," she mumbled.  
  
Before he even began to sing, Amarantha felt her body surrendering to the sleep that it needed. Shane's voice was the melody   
that filled her head as she slipped into the land of dreams.  
  
If you could read my mind, love  
What a tale my thoughts could tell  
Just like an old-time movie 'bout a ghost from a wishing well…  
  
  
  
Amarantha awoke the next afternoon, the phone still off the hook with a dial tone in her ear. She could hear her father yelling from   
downstairs.  
  
"Amarantha, your brother is home!" he screamed.  
  
She bolted from the bed, fighting off the urge to make a stop by the bathroom, and ran down the stairs, still in her nightgown.   
Shane was waiting for her at the bottom, and he caught her as she leaped into his arms.  
  
"Shay, I'm so glad you are home!" she squealed, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Apparently," he replied, gently setting her down on the ground. "Why don't you go get   
showered and dressed? Hunter offered to take us out for lunch."  
  
Amarantha nodded.  
  
Shane turned to Vince. "Would you like to join us, Dad?"  
  
What the hell is he doing? Amarantha wondered, staring strangely at her brother. They had   
serious business to talk about, and they certainly couldn't do it in front of their father.  
  
Vince shook his head. "No, I've got to get to Titan. I only stayed home until now so I could   
see you when you got back, and I've got a mountain of paperwork waiting for me."  
  
Amarantha sighed. Thank heavens for paperwork.  
  
"All right, then. We'll see you back here for dinner?" Shane asked.  
  
And for the surprise of your life, Amarantha added silently. Vince nodded. "I might be a   
little later than that, but go ahead and eat without me." He kissed Amarantha on the cheek   
and hugged Shane before pulling his keys out of his pocket and heading out the front door.   
They heard the Jeep start up seconds later, and they both breathed a sigh of relief when he   
had cleared the driveway.  
  
Amarantha crossed her arms over her chest. "Did JP really ask us to lunch?"  
  
Shane gave her the lady killer grin. "No, he's coming over so we can talk. I called him from   
the plane." He looked her up and down and shook his head. "I would suggest that you go   
change, however." He patted her stomach with his hand. "I think you're starting to show,   
and that nightgown is not flattering." Ding! Shane 2, Amarantha 1.  
  
Amarantha's jaw dropped open, and she punched him in the arm playfully. "That's not nice.   
I'm very sensitive about that."  
  
Shane rolled his eyes and put his chin on her shoulder. "I think that you're the most   
beautiful pregnant woman I've ever seen."  
  
Amarantha made a face. "Okay, I'm going to change. All this sugar that you're laying on is   
making me sick."  
  
Shane pinched her arm as she when to leave. She whirled on him. "I'm warning you, buddy.   
If I wasn't fighting for two, I'd be all over your sorry ass right now."  
  
He put his hands up, mocking her. "I'm warning you, buddy…blah, blah, blah. Excuses are   
all I get from you. Just admit it, you can't beat me, and that's why you're afraid to   
challenge me."  
  
"I am a McMahon," she said proudly, turning up her nose. "I have no fear."  
  
"Well, I fear that if you don't move your ass, Hunter and I will be old men before you're   
finished getting ready," he replied.  
  
Amarantha grinned at him, starting up the steps. "You and Hunter already are old men. Don't   
forget that."  
  
The scoreboard read Shane 2, Amarantha 2.  
  
  
  
  
"There she is, Miss Teen Pregnancy!" Shane sang as Amarantha walked in the room to join he   
and JP, who was sitting on the couch. Ding! Shane 3, Amarantha 2.  
  
Amarantha stopped dead in her tracks. "There he is, Mr. Thirty-year-old who gets teens   
pregnant!" she replied in her best singing voice. Ding. Tied up at three.  
  
JP's jaw dropped open, and he stared at them. "Damn, you guys sure are loving."  
  
Amarantha waved a dismissive hand and sat down beside him. "Oh, it's just a little game we   
play. We see who can out wit who."  
  
"So, who's winning?" JP asked.  
  
"I am," Shane and Amarantha replied in unison.  
  
JP shook his head, smiling at them. "There's that McMahon sense of competition."   
  
Amarantha smiled. "You bet your ass."  
  
"So, I guess we should talk about the matter at hand," Shane said after a moment of silence.   
"Hunter, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it's great of you and all, but it's a   
pretty big responsibility to take upon yourself."  
  
JP shrugged. "If it's for you and Ama, I don't mind."  
  
"Even if it means losing your job?" Shane asked, his eyebrows arched.  
  
"Vince can't fire me for 'getting his daughter pregnant,' but, yes, I'm willing to risk it,"   
he replied.  
  
Shane leaned forward and extended his fist to JP. "You have no idea what this means to us."  
  
JP smashed his fist against Shane's, nodding. "Yes, I do, and I'm happy to help."  
  
"So, we're going to tell him tonight?" Amarantha asked, biting her lip.  
  
Shane nodded. "That's the plan."  
  
"But, Shay, what if something happens and he finds out that it's all a lie and I'm not   
pregnant with JP's baby?" Amarantha asked, hoping that was never the case.  
  
"I don't know, but for right now, let's not even consider that," Shane replied. "We have to   
do everything in our power to make this work."  
  
Amarantha knew that her brother was right, but she still didn't like the fact that they were   
lying to their father, and the fact that there were so many loopholes that could end up in   
disaster. There was so much at risk for everyone involved. The plan had to work. She didn't   
know what to otherwise.  
  
  
  
  
Vince came home just after Amarantha, Shane, and JP had finished dinner. They were all   
sitting in the living room, like predators lying in wait for their prey.  
  
Vince stopped in the doorway, looking strangely at them. "What's everybody doing just sitting   
around here?"  
  
Amarantha cleared her throat and patted the seat beside her on the couch. "Daddy, we need to   
tell you something."  
  
Vince walked over and sat down on the couch, relaxing back against the cushions and crossing   
his legs. "Well, what is it?"  
  
JP stood up and walked over to Amarantha, crouching down beside her. Putting a hand on her   
knee, he took a deep breath. Shane sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room.   
Amarantha could tell that he was becoming more and more angry by the second. She tried to   
catch his eye, but he wouldn't look at her.  
  
"Vince, we want to be honest with you," JP said, trying to stay calm.  
  
"What's going on, guys? Just spit it out so I can go to bed. I'm exhausted," Vince snapped,   
rubbing his eyes.  
  
Amarantha took Vince's hand in hers, and then took JP's in her other. "Daddy, JP and I--well,   
we've been seeing each other for a few months."  
  
Vince's face went blank. "What?'  
  
"We've been dating since just before I got put into the storyline," Amarantha explained,   
keeping her face straight.  
  
Vince shrugged. "Well, I guess that I can't stop you form doing what you want. If you want   
to be together, then you will. Never mind the fact that you're 18 and JP is thirty-one."  
  
JP nodded his head. "I know it's a big difference, but I love her."  
  
Vince ripped his hand away from Amarantha, rolling his eyes. "Oh, just grand. You love her."  
  
"Daddy, please try to understand," Amarantha begged.  
  
"I understand perfectly," he replied, turning away from them.  
  
Amarantha bit her lip and looked at Shane. Shay, what do I do? Shane nodded, and Amarantha   
looked back to her father.  
  
"Daddy, there is something else," she whispered, trying to keep up her courage."What?"   
he snapped, turning back to her. His dark eyes looked as cold and unforgiving as she had ever   
seen them. Just the look he was giving her made her want to run screaming from the room.  
  
"I don't want you to get upset with me," she said, grabbing his hand again. "Daddy, you have   
to promise that you won't."  
  
Vince nodded. "I promise I'll try."  
  
Amarantha nodded, then looked at JP. "Daddy, I'm pregnant."  
  
Shane put his head in his hands. Vince looked at JP first then his eyes fell upon his   
daughter.  
  
"Amarantha, may I speak with you privately?" Vince said, calmly and quietly.  
  
JP and Shane both stood up and walked to the door. Shane made eye contact with Amarantha and   
mouthed, "I love you" before leaving.  
  
Vince stood up and began pacing around the room. Amarantha sat on the couch, her heart   
racing. This is so much worse than I ever imagined, she thought, wanting to crawl into a hole   
and die.  
  
"Amarantha," Vince said suddenly, his voice low and menacing, "your mother and I raised you   
the best way we knew how. We always did what we thought was the best for you. We taught you   
to have honor and pride--to keep your dignity above all things. This is how you repay me for   
everything I've given you?" The edge in his voice grew harsh.  
  
"Daddy-"  
  
"Shut your mouth!" he roared furiously, pointing a finger at her. "You are a fucking McMahon!  
You're supposed to be better than everyone else, better than some common street whore like   
your real mother, but that's exactly what you've turned out to be."  
  
"I'm human!" she screamed suddenly, her voice cracking. "I am allowed to make mistakes. I   
can't be perfect!"  
  
He whirled on her. "Yes, you'll have to learn to be perfect. You're a McMahon. You will be   
perfect or die trying!"  
  
Tears fell in rapid succession over her cheeks. "Daddy-"  
  
"I told you to keep your goddamn mouth shut!" he screamed. "What the fuck am I supposed to do   
about this? I can't have the papers finding out that my 18-year-old daughter is pregnant!   
How in the fuck are we supposed to work around this in the storyline?"  
  
"I don't think the storyline is what is important here," Amarantha replied, standing up from   
the couch. "Shouldn't your daughter be the important thing?"  
  
Vince's eyes narrowed. "Actually, you're not because family will always be there. My company   
will ensure that my family will always have a future, and I will not let all that I have   
worked for be destroyed by the person I did it all for in the first place!"  
  
"Family is always second place with you, and that's your problem! No matter what you do,   
you think your family will forgive you and always be there! Maybe you'll be surprised one   
day!"  
  
"You'd be nothing without me! You'd still be in that fucking orphanage, rotting like the   
piece of white trash that you were born!"  
  
Amarantha stormed past him, blinded by her tears. She blasted through the foyer, past JP   
and Shane who watched her throw open the front door.  
  
"Get your ass back in here!" Vince yelled from the living room.  
  
"Fuck you!" Amarantha screamed. "Fuck you, and your money, and your fucking company!"  
  
Ignoring the frantic cries of JP and Shane, she bolted out the door and down the sidewalk to   
her Jeep.  
  
"Amarantha, come back!" Shane yelled from the door.  
  
She hopped over the door, slid into the seat, and started the ignition. Dammit, she raged in   
her head. Why is this happening to me?  
  
"Amarantha!" Shane yelled again  
  
Amarantha put the Jeep in reverse and hit the pedal. Squalling tires, she backed down the   
driveway, hit the street, and sped away--JP and Shane still screaming her name.  
  
  
  
  
Amarantha drove madly through the streets of Greenwich. Her father hated her. She had ruined   
her life, his life-everyone's lives. She couldn't be perfect, and the song on the radio drove   
its words into her heart and mind reminding her of that fact.  
  
Hush little baby, gotta be strong  
Cause in this world we are born to fight  
Be the best, prove them wrong  
A winner's work is never done  
Reach the top, number one  
  
Perfection  
You drive me crazy with perfection  
I've worn my pride as my protection  
A winner's work is never done…  
Perfection  
  
I was taught to be tough  
That the best that you can be ain't enough  
Crack the whip, sacrifice  
But I found that paradise at a price…  
  
All my life I've been driven by perfection  
Pushed it to the limit every day and night  
Oh, I've been driven by perfection…  
  
Get it all, played my part  
I gave everything I had but my heart  
Worked so hard, made a name  
But the loneliness inside stayed the same…  
  
All my life I've been driven by perfection  
Pushed it to the limit every day and night  
Oh, I've been driven by perfection…  
  
  
  
Her father would never forgive her. As long as he lived, the damage she had done was   
irreparable. JP had sacrificed everything for her, and Shane was in silent agony over the   
whole thing. Amarantha put a hand over her abdomen. She already loved the baby growing   
inside her. As much as she feared the future, and the though of having a child terrified her,   
she knew that a baby would make her a new person.  
  
Amarantha's cell phone rang. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?" she said, choking back her tears.  
  
"Amarantha, come back home right now, please," Shane begged, his voice low.  
  
"Shay, he hates me," Amarantha whimpered. "I can't come home. He hates me."  
  
"Ama, he doesn't hate you," Shane replied. "He's angry and upset, but I talked to him. He's   
calm now, and he wants you home as badly as I do."  
  
"Oh, Shay, what am I going to do?" Amarantha asked, turning around in a parking lot. "This is   
never going to work."  
  
"Everything is going to be fine," Shane said softly. "You aren't going to believe this, but   
Hunter said that he's going to marry you."  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
"Dad cornered him and demanded he find a solution for the problem," Shane explained. "Hunter   
didn't exactly say it, but Dad basically put the words in his mouth."  
  
"Shay, I don't want to marry JP!" Amarantha shrieked. "I'm 18 years old! I don't want to get   
married!"  
  
"Neither does Hunter, but you don't really have much of a choice," Shane replied. "Now,   
please come home."  
  
"All right, I'll be there in a few," she replied, hanging up the phone.  
  
MARRIAGE? To JP? This news had opened up a new set of problems. The eternal trap that was   
being a McMahon had snagged her again, and this time, her father had ensnared JP.  
  
Amarantha turned into the driveway and saw Shane sitting on the front step. He stood up as   
she came up the sidewalk. She put her arms around him and sighed as he hugged her tightly.  
  
"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered. "I'm going to stay by you no matter what and   
so is Hunter."  
  
"What about Daddy?" Amarantha asked, pulling away to look at him.  
  
"He's waiting for you in the living room," Shane replied, softly. He put his hand in the   
small of her back and guided her back into the house. "He loves you, Ama, no matter what he   
says. He loves you. We all do."  
  
Amarantha continued to the living room, past JP who gave her subtle wink. In an instant, she   
was ten again, being sent to the living room to receive her punishment for doing something   
bad. Her father was always in the living room, sitting in the chair at the far side of the   
room, waiting like a judge to deliver a sentence. The walk across the room was the worst,   
with those eyes upon her, watching her every move.   
  
Some things never change, she thought, approaching her father who was sitting in that same   
chair. He was watching her silently, and the distance seemed like a million miles. Amarantha   
kept her head down as she kneeled down beside her father and put her head on his knee. She   
had always been subservient to her father, crumbling to his will like everyone else in the   
world. No one could say no to him, and everyone ran scrambling to fulfill his wishes. When   
she felt his comforting hand on her head, she began to cry.  
  
"Amarantha, I'm sorry for the things that I said," he whispered, on the edge of tears himself. "I was just so angry because I don't know what to do. For the first time in my life, I don't know what to do. I just want to keep you safe. That's all I've ever wanted to do, and I feel like I've failed because you are…" He shook his head. "I didn't mean any of what I said. You understand that, don't you?"  
  
Amarantha lifted her head. "I know, Daddy. I'm sorry that I let you down by being so   
irresponsible. I didn't mean for this to happen, I really didn't."  
  
"I know, Princess," he replied, putting his hand under her chin. "I love you so much, and   
I promise that we'll get through this, somehow. I promise you."  
  
"I love you, too, Daddy," she whispered.  
  
For the moment, things were all right again. Her father didn't hate her, and he had bought   
the story, but how long would it be before he found out the truth? That's when things would   
really be over for her-and for Shane.  
  
  
  
  
"I now pronounced you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
It had all happened so fast. Amarantha hadn't even had time to think before her father had   
rushed she and JP to the courthouse in the center of Greenwich to be married. She begged, she   
screamed, she pleaded on her hands and knees, and still her father was firm. She was being   
forced to marry JP, and he wasn't happy about it either.  
  
All her life, Amarantha had dreamed of her wedding-a huge ceremony on the McMahon family   
estate with flowers, flowers, and more flowers. She would have the wedding dress of her   
dreams, and the whole affair would be one to remember.  
  
Instead, she got a civil ceremony, in a courthouse, with three guests. Things had taken a   
turn for the worse. There was more to the lie than Amarantha could handle, but if it meant   
keeping the truth under wraps, she would have to marry JP and try and be happy.  
  
As JP turned to Amarantha, a sudden shock of nervousness shot through her. She had never   
really kissed him. This part of the story certainly gave her a start. JP, for his part,   
looked as nervous as she felt. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, putting his   
hand to the back of her neck.  
  
They broke and turned away from the justice of the peace to face the three McMahons gathered   
to watch the two marry. Vince stood up and clapped, stepping forward to embrace his daughter. She kissed him on the cheek, and then linked her arm through JP's.  
  
"Congratulations, Princess," he said softly. He offered his hand to JP, who shook it. "And   
to you, Hunter. Welcome to the family-for the second time and for real."  
  
"Thanks, boss," JP replied, tugging at his suit coat.  
  
Stephanie came up and hugged both of them. "Well, sis, looks like you stole my husband-in the   
ring and out of it."  
  
Amarantha blinked. "What?"  
  
Vince nodded. "We modified the storyline a little. We've been waiting for a while to do it,   
and this seemed like the perfect time."  
  
"So, you're putting us together in the story?" Amarantha asked, incredulously.  
  
"We've been needing to give Angle his push, so we're staring tomorrow," Vince explained.   
"Tomorrow night, you'll come out, reveal that you and Hunter have been having an affair, and   
Angle will jump in, smash you from behind, very carefully, of course, and that's that. We've   
only got a few more tapings before you can't be on television any more, so we've got to move   
quickly."  
  
"Apparently," Amarantha scoffed. This wasn't what she had planned at all. JP, or rather his   
alter ego, Hunter, had been one of the strongest heels going. Now, he was going to suddenly   
turn?   
  
"Don't be mad, babe," JP cut in suddenly. "I worked it out with them. Everything will be   
fine."  
  
Amarantha nodded. "All right, but it just seems too quick."  
  
"Not really," Vince argued. "We've been planning the break-up for a while. It's been held up   
because we haven't decided what to do with the Faction."  
  
Shane stepped up between them. "Come on, guys. Let's not talk business today. Let that   
alone until tomorrow. Let's wish them well and let these two enjoy what is left of their   
honeymoon."  
  
Vince smiled, clapping Shane on the shoulder. "My boy, you're right. We'll let you two go   
about your business. Just make sure you have everything finished by tomorrow night. Don't   
be late."  
  
JP put his arm around Amarantha's waist. "Sure thing."  
  
Vince escorted Stephanie down the aisle of the courthouse's chapel as Shane knocked fists with   
JP. "Take it easy, and call me," he added, looking to Amarantha.  
  
She smiled and nodded. "I will."  
  
JP and Amarantha watched him go then they both let out relieved sighs. JP yanked at his tie   
and tore it off as Amarantha slipped out of her uncomfortable high heels.  
  
"Jesus Christ, what a fucking mess," he muttered, taking her by the arm. "Come on, honey.   
Let's go home."  
  
  
  
  
Amarantha flopped down on the couch in JP's living room as he shut the door. His house was on   
the opposite side of Greenwich as the McMahons'. It was a beautiful home, and Amarantha knew   
that she would be comfortable there---comfortable, not happy. She already missed her room,   
her father, and Shane.  
  
JP sat down on the couch beside her and put his head in his hands. "Well, how does it feel to   
be Mrs. Levesque?"  
  
Amarantha nodded with a smile, pulling out her cigarettes. "Pretty damn good."  
  
JP grabbed the pack from her and threw it across the room. "Sorry, hon, but I'm in charge of   
you and that baby's health, so that means no more smoking."  
  
Amarantha rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Shane."  
  
"Speaking of health, we've got to get you to a doctor soon," he added. "Just to make sure   
that everything is all right."  
  
"That's good," Amarantha muttered, putting her hand on her slightly rounder than usual   
abdomen. "I've been feeling a little bit fatigued. I've been eating and taking vitamins, but   
I don't know what's wrong."  
  
JP stood up, clapping his hands. "Let's go then."  
  
"Now?" Amarantha asked, arching her eyebrows.  
  
He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to her feet. "No time like the present."  
  
Amarantha rolled her eyes. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
  
"WHAT??"  
  
The unison voices of JP and Amarantha echoed through the doctor's office.  
  
Dr. Bailey, who had been the McMahon family doctor for years, nodded with a half-smile.   
"That's right--you're having twins."  
  
Amarantha knocked her head against the hospital bed. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
"It's quite common, Amarantha," Dr. Bailey explained.  
  
"Isn't a little early to tell something like that?" JP asked, a look of total amazement on   
his face.  
  
"Normally, yes, but for some reason, I can't see quite plainly that there are two fetuses   
instead of one," Dr. Bailey replied. "That would explain why you have been feeling so   
fatigued. You've got to up your intake of food and vitamins to compensate for two babies.   
I'm going to prescribe some medicine that will help with that."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Bailey," Amarantha said, sitting up in the bed.  
  
He stood and shook JP's hand. "You're very welcome, and congratulations."  
  
Once Dr. Bailey had left the room, Amarantha pulled out her cell phone and dialed Shane's   
cell. JP sat in a chair beside the bed.  
  
"Shane McMahon," Shane answered the phone, loud music in the background.  
  
"Shay, what are you doing? I can barely hear you," Amarantha shouted, putting a finger in   
her other ear.  
  
The music abruptly stopped. "Sorry, Ama, I'm in the gym. What's up?"  
  
"JP insisted on taking me to the doctor, and I've got some news," she replied, looking   
sideways at JP.  
  
"What?" Shane replied. "Is something wrong with the baby?"  
  
Amarantha smiled. "No, nothing is wrong with them."  
  
"Good," Shane sighed, sounding relieved. "What a minute? 'Them?' Did you say 'them'? What   
do you mean?"  
  
"I'm having twins, Shay," Amarantha replied happily. "Dr. Bailey just told me. We're   
having twins."  
  
"Ama, that is wonderful!" Shane squealed like a schoolboy. "How in the world did that   
happen? Wow, we're having twins!"  
  
"I know! I'm just as excited as you are," she replied, patting JP on the arm. He looked up,   
and she smiled.  
  
"That is absolutely amazing!" Shane gushed. "Have you told Dad yet?"  
  
"No, I wanted to tell you first," Amarantha answered, sliding her feet off of the bed. "Why   
don't you tell him?"  
  
"All right, I was getting ready to head home anyway," Shane replied. "This is great, Ama.   
I'll talk to you later."  
  
Amarantha hung up the phone and flung it onto the bed. Then she slid off the bed and grabbed   
her clothes, heading for the bathroom. "JP?" she called.  
  
"Yeah?" he replied.  
  
"You don't seem as happy as Shane to hear this news," she said, pulling on her skirt.  
  
"Oh, no, Ama. I'm happy for you," he replied, shifting around the room.  
  
Amarantha pulled her shirt over her head and walked back out, crumpling her hospital gown and   
throwing it on the floor. "Then what is it?"  
  
JP shrugged, dragging a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I mean, I was all right with  
this whole set up when you first mentioned it to me, but now, I just don't know. Two babies   
is a lot to handle. I guess I didn't think about what I was getting myself into when I agreed   
to do this."  
  
Amarantha put her hand on his muscular chest. "Oh, JP, you're not regretting it, are you?"  
  
He shook his head. "No, but I didn't exactly plan to marry you, either. I mean, you know   
that I love you, Ama, but things just got out of hand."  
  
"I didn't plan on marrying you either," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't   
worry, in a few months, we'll just tell Daddy that things have changed, and we can'tbe married   
anymore. The longevity of this marriage isn't my main concern. Just the fact that he thinks   
I'm pregnant with your baby---I mean, babies is the important thing."  
  
"After they're born, how are we going to handle it?" JP asked, noting her annoyed tone. "I   
don't think Shane is going to be happy with them calling me 'Daddy' while he is just 'Uncle   
Shane.'"  
  
Amarantha bit her lip. "I hadn't thought of that. Well, he'll just have to deal with it if   
he knows what's good for him."  
  
Amarantha's stomach growled. JP looked at her with a half smile. "Hungry?"  
  
She nodded, putting a hand to her stomach. "I'm really craving an omelet."  
  
JP put his arm around her shoulders. "You are in luck. It just so happens that I make one   
hell of an omelet." He paused. "Does this mean that I'm going to be getting up in the middle   
of the night to go get you pickles or oysters or something?"  
  
She smiled. "Maybe."  
  
  
  
  
Amarantha collapsed, utterly and completely exhausted, on to JP's king-sized bed after dinner. She was completely full, having enjoyed three of JP's excellent omelets. They had watched a movie after dinner, a sappy love story, that had left the hormone fueled Amarantha sobbing her eyes out on JP's shoulder. After that, JP had insisted that she go to bed. It had been a long day. She didn't have any of her own things, so she had borrowed a huge t-shirt of JP's to wear to bed.  
  
JP poked his head in the door, already changed into his 'nightgown' consisting of a pair of   
boxer shorts. "Well, I'm off to bed. I'll be in the living room on the sofa if you need me."  
  
Amarantha sat up, bracing herself on her elbows. "I'm not going to be responsible for kicking   
you out of your own bed, JP."  
  
He waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind."  
  
Amarantha shook her head. "No way. We can both sleep in here. We are married after all."  
  
"I don't know…"  
  
She jumped up off the bed and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the room. "Nope,   
you're sleeping in here, and I don't want any arguments about it."  
  
He smiled, allowing himself to be pushed on to the bed. "You know, you're really a pill if   
you don't get your way."  
  
She sat down beside him, crossing her legs. "I'm a McMahon, I'm supposed to be that way.   
You've seen how Stephanie is."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Boy, have I ever."  
  
"Well, I'm a million times worse because I'm the baby, and I've been spoiled rotten my entire   
life," she replied, with a devilish grin.  
  
"I find it hard to believe that anyone could be worse than your sister," JP groaned. "She   
gets on my damn nerves."  
  
"She has that effect on everybody," Amarantha assured him. "You'll be rid of her soon enough.  
I get to be your new wife."  
  
"In more ways that one," he added. "Are you sure you're okay with the way the storyline is   
going?"  
  
Amarantha nodded. "Yeah. I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll be out of it for a while   
anyway."  
  
"I think if you had it your way, you'd be on that stage until you went into labor," JP teased.  
  
She smacked him on the shoulder. "You're probably right." Amarantha sighed, and then   
stretched out beside him, putting her head on his chest. "Did you ever think things would   
turn out this way, JP? That I'd be pregnant and your wife?"  
  
"Definitely not," he answered. "I thought you were gaga over Edge a while back."  
  
Amarantha rolled her eyes. "Well, I was, but he didn't seem to feel the same way. I decided   
that I couldn't be with someone who spends more time looking in the mirror than me. Besides,   
I think that he and Christian are a little more than just tag team partners, if you know   
what I mean."  
  
JP laughed, his chest shaking and bouncing her head. "I think you could be right."  
  
Amarantha sighed happily. "Do you remember that summer when we all went to the Cape and   
shared that huge house?"  
  
"The summer when you and Shane tried to dye your hair blonde?" he asked, a smile playing   
across his lips. "You two had orange hair for a month!"  
  
Amarantha elbowed him in the ribs. "That's not funny. Man, Daddy was pissed about that.   
Yeah, that's the summer. You know, I had a really big crush on you that summer."  
  
"Really?" JP asked sarcastically. "I couldn't tell. I guess that was you that left the big   
huge "I love Hunter Hearst Helmsley" sign in the sand outside my window."  
  
"You knew?" she asked, incredulously.  
  
He nodded. "Yep. Shane kept teasing me about it the entire summer."  
  
She smiled. "If I had known then that I would be married to you three years later, I probably   
would have had a nervous breakdown."  
  
"It was very flattering," he said, gently stroking her hair. "If I had been a few years   
younger, I would have gone after you."  
  
"That makes me feel better," she replied. "Now that I look back on it, I realize how stupid   
I must have seemed."  
  
"Not at all," he answered. "You were adorable."  
  
Amarantha groaned. "I hate that. People have always called me adorable. I don't want to   
be called adorable any more. I never want my children to be called adorable."  
  
"Well, you certainly have become quite the vixen in the last few years," JP added to make her   
feel better.  
  
Amarantha put her head up and looked at him. "I'm glad you noticed."  
  
They stared at each other for a moment before Amarantha leaned forward. "Kiss me, JP."  
  
He turned his head. "I can't, darling."  
  
"Why not?" she whimpered, her pride suffering a full force blow.  
  
"Because, I just can't," he replied softly. "It's not right."  
  
"Oh, and me being pregnant with Shane's children is okay?" she snapped.  
  
He turned back to her. "That's not what I said, Ama. I can't because it could lead to other   
things that I don't want to involve myself with."  
  
Her hand drifted to the seam of his boxer shorts. "Like what?" she asked boldly.  
  
JP grabbed her by the wrist and pushed away her hand. "Stop it. I'm not going to let you do   
this to me."  
  
"Do what to you?" she asked angrily. No one says 'no' to a McMahon, she thought bitterly.  
  
"Amarantha, you might not realize it, but you are obviously manipulative," he answered roughly.  
"You're used to getting what you want, and when you don't, you pout just like you are doing   
now."  
  
"I'm not pouting," she snapped nastily.  
  
"Yes, you are, and I won't play into your foolish whims," he replied. "No matter how badly I   
want to, I won't do it."  
  
Amarantha grinned. That little admission would be his undoing. Oh, JP, you should never let   
your enemy know that you are weak, she thought.  
  
Amarantha sat up, put her knees on either side of his huge thighs, resting her full weight on   
him. She could feel him through his boxer shorts, and she knew she had him. "You might say   
that you don't want to, but someone else tells me that you do," she whispered huskily, putting   
her hands on his waist. She bent down to kiss him, and he turned away again. Dammit, she   
cursed.  
  
She shrugged. "Fine, whatever you want. I guess you aren't that damn good."  
  
Suddenly, JP moved beneath her with lightning speed and she found herself on her back, JP   
looming above her with a deadly look in his eyes. "You think you're so damn smooth, don't you? Well, guess what? Two can play at this game."  
  
Amarantha smiled in victory as he bent his head to kiss her, shedding his boxer shorts in one   
quick motion. She arched her back as he pulled the t-shirt over her head, slipped her silk   
panties off, and gently touched the soft flesh between her legs. Shane's face suddenly   
flashed in her head, and Amarantha pushed it away, locking her hands into JP's hair. She   
gasped as he entered her in one quick thrust.  
  
"Hunter…" she whispered.  
  
He laughed. "You've never called me that before."  
  
She smiled up at him, then tilted her head back and basked in the pleasure that was washing   
over her. Something about him-they didn't fit as well together she and Shane had. Amarantha   
shook her head. This isn't Shane, she told herself. He'll never be Shane, so stop trying to   
make him Shane.  
  
"We aren't going to hurt the babies, are we?" JP asked quietly, his breath ragged. He had   
stopped in mid-thrust, and Amarantha was in agony.  
  
She shook her head. "They'll be fine," she assured him, locking her legs around his hips and   
pulling him deeper into her. He licked his lips and kissed her again, resuming the powerful   
thrust that was making Amarantha shiver. As their tempo increased, she suddenly felt that he   
was too big for her, that he would tear her apart if they went any further.  
  
"Hunter…" she whispered again, this time her voice laced with apprehension.  
  
"Am I hurting you?" he asked sweetly, concern for her in his voice.  
  
Amarantha smiled, shaking her head. "No, please don't stop."  
  
Her body was nearing its climax, and she could tell that he was holding back, trying to   
prolong it. "Now, Hunter…" she breathed, her lip quivering.  
  
He responded by quickening his thrusts, harder and deeper every time. She moaned and writhed   
beneath him. When she hit her peak, she screamed loud enough to knock a picture off the wall   
beside the bed. He spilled over, then collapsed on to her, kissing her frantically.  
  
"I love you, Amarantha," JP whispered, his hot breath against her.  
  
Amarantha blinked. Did he just say 'I love you?' she thought frantically. I don't love him!   
She didn't know what to say to that. This isn't about love! It's just sex.  
  
"Me too," she whispered, hating herself. What have I done now?  
  
  
  
  
The next evening, Amarantha and JP showed up at WWF NY right on time as they had promised   
Vince. The day had been a tense one between them. Neither of them said very much, and   
Amarantha slept until three in the afternoon-mostly because she was tired, but partly because   
she didn't want to have to face JP after what had happened the previous night.  
  
She didn't regret it, but hearing him say 'I love you' had set something off inside her. She   
didn't love him, not the way he loved her, and she probably never would. Was she just using   
him? Had the whole thing been a mistake? JESUS CHRIST, I'm going crazy!   
  
"We're here, so don't have a conniption," JP grumbled as they walked through the dressing room   
doors.   
  
Vince, Shane, and Stephanie were all sitting on the couch along with the rest of the Faction.   
Vince looked up and checked his watch. "So you are. Well, let's get out there. We might as   
well get this started."  
  
JP nodded, then turned and kissed Amarantha goodbye as the Faction all filed out of the room.   
Shane stayed behind a few steps and approached her, whispering quietly. "Ama, is everything   
all right?"  
  
She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just tired."  
  
"Are you sure? I get the feeling that something happened between you and Hunter. You both   
seem like you're uncomfortable around each other," Shane replied, rubbing her arm.  
  
Amarantha squeezed the bridge of her nose. "What can I say? When you sleep with someone for   
the first time, it's always awkward the next morning."  
  
Shane's face went blank. "What?"  
  
Amarantha nodded, suddenly becoming angry for no apparent reason. "That's right. We slept   
together last night."  
  
Shane ignored the calls from the hallway and stared at her. "I don't believe it. You slept   
with him?"  
  
Amarantha nodded again. "Yep, and I had a damn good time, too."  
  
The sting of the slap that Shane laid across Amarantha's left cheek brought tears to her eyes   
and the metallic taste of blood to her mouth. She turned and looked at him, fury raging in her  
dark eyes.  
  
"What, Shane? Are you jealous?" she hissed. "Are you jealous that JP can fuck your sister   
and you can't?" Ding. Amarantha 4, Shane 3--but what a hard fought point.  
  
"I'm not jealous, just disappointed," he replied, turning to leave. "That's low, even for a   
McMahon." The score was tied, 4-4.  
  
He slammed the door behind him, and Amarantha kicked it as hard as she could, leaving a dent.   
She pounded her fists against it, refusing to cry. She wouldn't let her brother get the best   
of her.   
  
On the contrary--he would bring the best out of her.  
  
  
  
  
"So, come on out, Amarantha. We've got something to say to you!"  
  
The Carmina music started up, and Amarantha burst through the curtain to a huge pop from the   
crowd. How she would miss that sound for the next nine months. The hand holding the   
microphone was shaking. Even after all the times in front of the crowd, she still got   
nervous. As the music faded, Amarantha put the microphone to her lips.  
  
"Hello, dear family," she intoned gravely. "I've got something to say to you, as well. You   
go first."  
  
Shane wouldn't even look at her. Vince took up the microphone and began speaking in his "Mr.   
McMahon" voice.  
  
"We're sick and damn tired of you coming out here every week and running your mouth about how   
you're going to give us what's coming to us!" he shouted over the cries of "asshole" that   
always accompanied him. "Just hurry up and give it to us, if you can."  
  
Amarantha smiled. "All right, since you asked for it. It's mostly for my dear sister,   
Stephanie. I've got a little surprise for you, sis. Be careful, it might knock off some of   
that cheap slut make-up right off your face."  
  
Stephanie looked at her with a look of total surprise and resentment as JP---Hunter jumped out   
of the ring, apparently going to defend his wife's honor. Amarantha could hear JR and The   
King screaming from the monitor.  
  
"Where the hell does Triple H think is going? He's not going to knock Amarantha around, is   
he? That damn fool, doesn't he know that Stone Cold is probably waiting backstage to protect   
her?"  
  
"He's crazy!"  
  
Hunter walked up to her, microphone in hand. "I've got something to say to you!"  
  
Amarantha smiled. "Then spit it out, the way you spit that water out before every fight.   
Personally, I think you look like a wet dog when you do that, but that's just my opinion."  
  
As the crowd roared in approval, he stepped forward as if to hit her, then wrapped his arm   
around Amarantha's waist, leaned her back, and kissed her full and hard on the mouth. The   
audience screamed, and the Faction stomped around the ring as Stephanie stood in disbelief.   
Hunter pulled back and turned and smiled at Stephanie.  
  
"Sorry, Steph," he said with a grin. "I've found a McMahon I like better than you. You are   
just a nasty two dollar slut."  
  
Amarantha glared at her sister. "I'm sorry too, Steph." She paused, thinking. "Actually,   
I'm not!"  
  
She heard it from JR before she felt the blow from behind her.   
  
"Amarantha, watch out, it's Kurt Angle!"  
  
His carefully planned and perfectly executed kick from behind sent Amarantha flying across   
the stage. She crashed to the floor, smacking her knees against the metal grating, as Angle   
ran down the ramp and jumped into the ring to plant one on Stephanie.  
  
Hunter bent down to help her. "You all right?" he whispered, his back to the crowd.  
  
Amarantha got to her feet, brushing herself off carefully. "Fine," she replied, putting the   
microphone to her lips. "Real nice, Steph! We'll just see how big and bad your American   
hero feels when he faces my man, Triple H, in a match later tonight."  
  
"You're on!" Stephanie raged, putting her arm around Angle's shoulders. "My American hero   
will tear your Game apart!"  
  
"We'll see about that," Amarantha spat as the Carmina music started up again. She exited the   
stage quickly, JP on her heels, and bolted for the dressing room.  
  
  
  
  
As soon as she got inside, she plopped down on the couch, biting her lip in thought. Shane   
hadn't even looked her way during the whole scene, and that worried her. Never, in all the   
time they had been brother and sister, had they ever had a fight like the one they had before   
she went out, and nothing scared Amarantha more than when Shane was mad-particularly at her.  
  
JP burst into the dressing room. "What the hell happened with you and Shane? He was stomping   
around the ring, cussing and screaming about you!"  
  
Amarantha waved a dismissive hand. "It's nothing. He's just pouting. I told him about us,   
and he got pissed off at me. That's all."  
  
"That's all?" JP replied, incredulously. "That's all? You'd think that you killed his best   
friend the way he was going on about you. It must have been one hell of a fight."  
  
"Jealously will do that to my brother," Amarantha tossed off, trying to seem as apathetic as   
possible. It wouldn't do any good to have JP know that she was upset because of Shane. She   
looked up at him, a sinister gleam in her eye. Shane would be back in the dressing room in a   
matter of minutes. The timing was perfect.  
  
"I'm sick of talking about Shane," she whispered, motioning for him to come closer. He inched   
toward the couch nervously. "I've got something to say to you. Bend down here so you can   
hear me perfectly."  
  
JP shrugged and bent down, and Amarantha locked her arms around his neck and pulled him down   
on top of her. He let out a cry of surprise, then grinned and put his lips to hers. She   
giggled, feeling the stubble on his chin scratch against her face, and Amarantha wrapped her   
legs around his hips as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. It would tear Shane up to see   
them like that when he walked in, and Amarantha would make sure it was believable.  
  
"Ama, you are just full of surprises," JP whispered, running his hands down the length of her   
body. "I thought you were pissed at me the whole day."  
  
Amarantha smiled. "Nope. Enough talk." She pulled him back down to her as she heard the   
sounds of the Faction coming up the hallway.  
  
The doorknob turned and JP jumped off her quickly, but not before Shane, who was the head of   
the crowd, had seen an eyeful.  
  
"Uh, hey guys," JP stammered, looking very embarrassed.  
  
Shane glared at Amarantha. "Nice, sis."  
  
Amarantha licked her lips and glared back at her brother. "Thought you might enjoy that."  
  
Shane stomped his foot, his face growing red. "I've had enough of this shit!"  
  
Vince looked at his son strangely. "Shane, what the hell is the matter with you?"  
  
"Why don't you ask Amarantha that?" Shane screamed, frightening even Amarantha who was trying   
to keep a straight face.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Vince asked, looking back and forth between his daughter and   
son.  
  
"I'm talking about the fact that JP and Amarantha are not dating, but they sure as hell are   
fucking!" Shane raged, throwing his hands up in the air. "They were never dating. We got JP   
to lie for us so you wouldn't find out that it's my baby that Amarantha is pregnant with!"  
  
Amarantha jumped up off the couch as the entire Faction gasped collectively. "What the fuck   
are you talking about?" Vince shouted, his voice drowning out all the other chatter going on   
in the room.  
  
"It's my baby-only, it's not just one, it's two!" Shane continued, as though Vince hadn't   
even spoken. "She's having twins, and they're mine, not JP's! We fucked two and half months  
ago, Dad. Your adopted slut daughter and your son fucked, and now she's pregnant. We've been   
lying to you all along."  
  
"Shut your fucking mouth, Shane," JP hissed furiously.  
  
"Is it true?" Vince asked, looking right at Amarantha.  
  
She didn't answer, just glared at Shane.  
  
"IS IT FUCKING TRUE?" Vince repeated, his voice ringing in everyone's ears.  
  
Amarantha looked at Shane. "You fucking bastard. I'll never forgive you for this, as long as   
I live. I'll never forgive you."  
  
She stormed past the lot of them, down the hallway, and out to her Jeep. No one dared to try   
and stop her as she floored it and tore out of the parking garage.  
  
  
  
  
Four months later…  
  
Amarantha looked up as JP keyed into the house. She pushed herself, and her enormously large   
stomach up, off the couch and walked to him, kissing him on the cheek. "Hello, JP. How was   
your day?"  
  
He smiled and tossed his keys to the table beside the door, pausing briefly to look through   
the day's mail. "Fine. Same old shit with your father, but fine."  
  
Amarantha walked back to the couch and eased herself back down on to it. Her feet were   
swollen and aching terribly. "That's good. I just sat here all day, like I do every day,   
getting fatter and fatter."  
  
JP rolled his eyes. "Amarantha, you've barely gained any weight. You know you're not that   
big, so stop fishing for compliments."  
  
Amarantha grinned. "Just wanted to hear you say it."  
  
The phone beside JP suddenly rang. He picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello? Oh, hey, how's it going? Sure, she's right here," he said before handing the base   
and receiver to Amarantha. "It's Shane, again."  
  
Amarantha took the phone and put the receiver to her ear, against her better judgment that   
told her to hang up immediately.  
  
"Ama, I know you can hear me," Shane said quietly. "Talk to me. I'm sorry, how many times   
to do I have to say that? I'm sorry. I love you."  
  
Amarantha slammed the receiver down, put the phone beside her on the couch, picked up the   
remote control, and began channel surfing. JP shook his head at her.  
  
"Ama, it's been four months," he said quietly. "Won't you at least talk to him?"  
  
Amarantha glared at him. "No, JP, I won't. I have nothing to say to him."  
  
"Nothing to say to him?" JP asked, in that annoying way of turning everything Amarantha had   
said around into a question. "Ama, you're having his babies in three months. Surely, you've   
got something to say to him."  
  
Amarantha pushed herself up off the couch again and began walking to her room. "JP, I don't   
want to hear this from you. You, above all people, should know what he did to me. He ruined   
everything, including my relationship with my father, that I've had to put back together,   
piece by piece. I have **nothing** to say to him, and that is that."  
  
She slammed the door to her room, the one that she and JP had shared for about a week after   
the tragedy at WWF NY that night, until they decided that it was best to call the whole   
relationship off and live as a married couple who didn't sleep in the same room. She sat   
carefully sat down on the bed and laid back, turning her head to the side.  
  
There it was, the thing that had caused her so much grief since her fight with Shane---the   
tape of songs that he had sent her a week after she refused to take his calls. She had put   
tape in her tape player the moment she received it and spent the night sobbing, listening to   
the words that Shane had found to cause her even more misery.  
  
Ama, the note had said, I don't know what to do to tell you how sorry I am for what I did to   
you---to us. I'm not much with words, but I know how much you love music. I hope this can   
tell you how I feel in a way that I can't. Love eternally faithful, Shane."  
  
Amarantha had been perfectly fine reading the note, and actually got through a few of the   
songs on the tape before bursting into tears. Though she hadn't listened to the thing since   
she first got it almost four months before, the words were still ringing in her head…  
  
  
  
How can I just let you walk away   
Just let you leave without a trace   
When I stand here taking every breath with you   
You're the only one who really knew me at all   
How can you just walk away from me   
When all I can do is watch you leave   
'Cause we shared the laughter and the pain   
And even shared the tears   
You're the only one who really knew me at all   
  
So take a look at me now   
There's just an empty space   
There's nothing left here to remind me   
Just the memory of your face  
  
Take a good look at me now   
There's just an empty space   
And you coming back to me   
Is against all the odds   
And that's what I got to take   
  
I wish I could just make you turn around   
Turn around and see me cry   
There's so much I need to say to you   
So many reasons why   
You're the only one   
Who really knew me at all   
  
But to wait for you is all I can do   
And that's what I've got to face   
Take a good look at me now   
'Cause I'll still be standing there   
  
  
That was the song that made Amarantha realize how much she really missed her brother, and how   
much she needed him.  
  
  
I don't wanna live without your love   
I don't wanna face the night alone  
I could never make it through my life   
If I had to make it on my own   
I don't wanna love nobody else   
I don't wanna find somebody new   
I don't wanna live without your love  
I just wanna live my life with you with you  
  
Guess I had to go away   
So much I had to go through   
Guess I had to lose you   
To realize how much I love you   
Can we make the fires burn again   
Burn a little stronger   
'Cause I've been alone, and baby   
I can't be alone any longer   
  
  
It was then that Amarantha realized that she did still love Shane, and he still loved her.  
  
  
  
I see you there, a silhouette in the moonlight; looks like you've given up on love.   
You used to be the face in the spotlight; now loneliness fits you like a glove.   
You walk around in your cloak of darkness, too blind to see the light.   
Your wings are broken, now your spirit can't take flight.   
You're not alone, you're not alone, while your heart's still young and free.   
You're not alone, pick up the phone and talk to me; baby, you will see you're not alone.  
  
Although your heart is in pieces, you can't find a reason to try.   
You're not alone, while I'm still standing by.   
  
  
Amarantha hadn't had a good night's sleep since the argument because she didn't have Shane   
to sing to her.  
  
  
Look into my eyes - you will see   
What you mean to me   
Search your heart - search your soul   
And when you find me there you'll search no more   
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for   
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for   
You know it's true   
Everything I do - I do it for you   
  
Look into my heart - you will find   
There's nothin' there to hide   
Take me as I am - take my life   
I would give it all - I would sacrifice   
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for   
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more   
Ya know it's true   
Everything I do - I do it for you   
  
  
With that, Amarantha had realized that everything Shane had ever done had been for her.  
  
  
Wherever you go I'll be with you   
Whatever you want I'll give it to you   
Whenever you need someone   
To lay your heart and head upon   
Remember after the fire   
After all the rain   
I will be the flame   
I will be the flame   
  
  
Amarantha knew that what the song was saying was true. Everywhere she went, everything   
she did, Shane's image was there, haunting her.  
  
  
I'm still the man for you   
And I'm still the man that's true   
And I'm still the man who's lucky   
And I'm still in love with you…  
  
… I can't stop loving you   
And no matter what I say or do   
You know my heart is true   
Oh, oh, I can't stop lovin' you   
  
  
She still loved him, and always would, but she would not forgive him. Not yet.  
  
  
When can I see you again   
When can my heart beat again   
When can I see you again   
When can I breathe once again   
And when can I see you  
  
  
Not for a while, Shane, she thought. Not until my heart is mended.  
  
  
Please forgive me, I know not what I do   
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you   
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through   
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do   
Please believe me (Oh believe it), every word I say is true   
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you   
  
  
She couldn't forgive him until she forgave herself. It would be a long time before she   
could see Shane again and not want to scratch his eyes out and crush him to her in a kiss   
that would never be forgotten-all at the same time! The only thing she was worried about,   
at the moment, however, was how the situation would turn out once the babies were born.   
  
That time would be rapidly approaching…  
  
  
  
  
Three months later…  
  
"GET THESE FUCKING THINGS OUT OF ME!!!" Amarantha screamed, biting down on her lip hard enough   
to draw blood. As it turned out, Amarantha was allergic to every drug in the book, so she had   
nothing to dull the pain. It was going to be a long night.  
  
"Mrs. Levesque, you have to calm down!" the doctor who was on call in the emergency room   
yelled. He would regret that he had answered the page after Amarantha was through with him.  
  
JP rubbed Amarantha's forehead with a wet towel. "You're doing great, Ama. Hang in there."  
  
"Oh, you hang in there," she snapped nastily. "Why don't you go hang yourself?"  
  
JP didn't flinch. The Lamaze classes had prepared him for Amarantha's probable moodiness.  
  
Suddenly, Vince came rushing in, Shane on his heels. He stopped short at the sight of his   
daughter laying there for the world to see, then shook his head and ran to her side. Shane   
stayed as far away as possible.  
  
"Sir, I'm sorry, you can't be here right now," a nurse came in and said, trying to pull Vince   
away from the vice-like grip of his daughter.  
  
"You leave him alone! That's my father, goddammit!" Amarantha screamed at her, preparing for   
another contraction. "JESUS CHRIST!"   
  
"That's it, Mrs. Levesque. Breathe, this one is almost over," the doctor coached.  
  
Vince bent down close to Amarantha. "Princess, Shane is here. Would it be all right-"  
  
Amarantha looked around the huddle of people and saw Shane leaning against the wall, watching   
with interest. "Get that cocksucking bastard out of here. I don't want to see him!"  
  
"Ama, he's the father," JP whispered, holding her other hand. "He has a right to see his   
children being born."  
  
"NO, HE DOESN'T!" Amarantha screamed just as another contraction seized her.  
  
"This is it, Mrs. Levesque! Now, when the next one comes, I want you to push!"  
  
She grabbed her father by the lapels of his sport coat and pulled him down to her. "I swear   
to high Heaven that if you don't get him out of here right this fucking instant, I WILL NOT   
HAVE THESE BABIES. Daddy, get him the FUCK OUT OF HERE!"  
  
Vince pulled away, momentarily stunned by the viciousness of his daughter's words, and waved   
Shane out of the emergency room. Amarantha saw him go around the corner, shaking his head,   
but she knew that he wouldn't be too far away.  
  
"Here it comes, Mrs. Levesque, now push!"  
  
The pain shot through Amarantha, and she sat straight up in the bed, holding Vince's and JP's   
hands tight enough to break them. She screamed as she beared down the way all the classes and   
books had told her.   
  
"I can see the first baby's head, Mrs. Levesque! Push!"  
  
Amarantha bit her lip again, tearing it open even further, as she pushed with all the strength   
that she had. When the baby's first cry split the air with an ear-piercing shriek, she   
collapsed against the bed, knowing that the second would soon be on the way.  
  
"It's a girl, Princess," Vince said, tears filling up his dark eyes. "It's a beautiful baby   
girl." He kissed her forehead.  
  
Amarantha smiled, tears running over her cheeks. JP bent down and kissed her softly on the   
lips, and as he did, another contraction signaling the arrival of the next baby hit her, and   
she bit down hard.  
  
"FUCK!" JP cursed, pulling away from her. His lip was now bleeding, but Amarantha didn't have   
time to apologize.  
  
"JESUS CHRIST!! Kill me NOW!" Amarantha pushed as hard as she could and didn't stop pushing   
until the second baby's cry hit the air.  
  
"It's a boy," Vince whispered. "A perfect little boy."  
  
Amarantha lay back, her body finally relaxing. She had done it. She was the mother of two   
children, and as the nurses placed the screaming babies into her arms, she saw Shane peek   
around the corner. She didn't have the strength to protest.  
  
"Mrs. Levesque, what are the babies' names?" a nurse with a chart in hand asked, leaning in   
close to her.  
  
Amarantha looked right at Shane, his dark eyes finding hers. "Shane Brandon McMahon Jr. and   
Hannah Arrisen McMahon."  
  
Shane smiled, then immediately headed for the exit with his head down and his shoulder   
sagged.  
  
The nurse took down the names, then the babies were taken from her to be put in the nursery.   
As she laid back against the bed, another all too familiar pain shot through every inch of   
her body.  
  
She screamed, grabbing JP and Vince's hands again, this time feeling the bones in her father's   
crack under the pressure. He screamed as well as the doctor came running back toward her.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Vince roared, trying to pull his hand away from Amarantha's.  
  
The doctor looked up at them, a puzzled look on his face. "There's another baby."  
  
Shane heard the words and came running back through the ER.  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Amarantha, Shane, Vince, and JP all said in unison.  
  
  
  
  
Four years (exactly) later…  
  
Amarantha sat in the back of the limo, humming along quietly to the song that was on the   
radio. On her lap, she held pictures of the children, and beside her sat a mountain of   
presents. It was their birthday--they were four.  
  
The third baby that had surprised them all was another boy. Dr. Bailey explained later that   
the third baby must have been hidden behind the other two for the entire duration of the   
pregnancy. Amarantha couldn't have been more overjoyed, and the second son was named Cage   
Kennedy McMahon.  
  
Amarantha sighed, looking at the pictures. Hannah was an exact replica of her mother at four   
years old. They had the same dark features, and Hannah already had a smart mouth at her young   
age. The twins, Shane Jr.-who preferred to be called Brandon-and Cage looked exactly alike,   
and exactly like their father. They had his same dark eyes and pale skin. Amarantha smiled.   
The McMahon family certainly had strong genes.  
  
The triplets had become Amarantha's whole life. She made occasional appearances on Raw when   
she had the time, and she and "Hunter" were still together, though Amarantha had moved out of   
JP's house about six months after the children were born. They were still very close, but the   
atmosphere of the house was not something that she wanted to which she wanted to expose the   
children. Brandon and Cage adored "Uncle JP," and she often brought them over to see him.   
Hannah had instantly taken to her grandfather, and it was no secret that she was Vince's   
favorite. All Hannah had to do was say "Grandpa" in that special way, and there was nothing   
that he wouldn't give her. Hannah had asked for a pony for her fourth birthday, which   
Amarantha was on her way to celebrate, and instead, he bought her a horse farm. Vince had   
spoiled all three children rotten.  
  
None of the children had asked questions as to why their father was actually their uncle as   
well, and Amarantha had decided that it was best to let it rest until they came to the age   
that they starting wondering.  
  
Amarantha bit down her lower lip, still scarred from that night in the ER. (JP had an   
identical scar on his lower lip. Amarantha had apologized repeatedly for it.) She hadn't   
spoken to Shane in four long years. When she dropped the children off to visit their father   
at the McMahon estate, where he was still living, she didn't even get out of the car. Shane   
had tried to talk to her on more than occasion, but Amarantha had managed to avoid him. The   
bad blood between them was still thick.  
  
Shane adored his children, and he was the best father Amarantha could have wished for her   
children. He always let little Hannah have her way, but such was the relationship between   
fathers and daughters. Brandon and Cage looked up to their father immensely, and Amarantha   
could see Shane in them whenever they tried to cry crocodile tears to get out of being in   
trouble. Looking at them was a painful reminder of the destroyed relationship between she   
and Shane, but looking upon her children gave Amarantha her biggest sense of joy.  
  
What a crazy mess her life had become. She was 22 years old with three children, a   
millionairess, and a star in the WWF. She lived in a beautiful house just up the street from   
JP, and she had the money to buy anything she desired.  
  
She had everything except the one thing she really wanted---  
  
Shane.  
  
  
  
  
"Mommy!" Three unison cries came from the triplets as Amarantha came out the back door of the   
McMahon house. The place was decorated with balloons and streamers and children were   
everywhere. The triplets' fourth birthday was a main event, thanks to Vince, who insisted on   
throwing them a huge and lavish party every year. Stars of the WWF all showed up to celebrate   
the event, giving the triplets outrageously expensive gifts. Needless to say, their birthday   
was the triplets' favorite day of the year.  
  
"Come here, my little darlings," she cooed as she crouched down to hug her children. Hannah   
had a party hat on her head, and she took it off and put it on her mother's with a smile.  
  
"Mommy, Grandpa got me a bunch of horses for my birthday," she squealed with delight.  
  
"Is that so?" she asked, straightening Hannah's purple birthday dress.  
  
"I got a real fighter jet," Brandon bragged. "It really flies."  
  
"Well, I got a monster truck," Cage interjected, not to be outdone by his brother. "Grandpa   
says that he will take me to see REAL monster trucks soon."  
  
"Well, we'll see about that," Amarantha replied. She scanned the assembled guests, taking   
the party hat from her head. "Where's Grandpa?"  
  
Hannah pointed in the direction of the pool. "He's over there talking to Rocky and Steve."  
  
Amarantha kissed her children then ushered them off to play with their friends. She headed   
straight through the crowd toward her father, giving the occasionally hello and wave to those   
who called her name.  
  
"Amarantha, what a pleasure to see you," Duane said as she walked up beside her father.  
  
She smiled pleasantly. "You too, Duane. How long has it been?"  
  
He put a hand to his head. "Well, my skull isn't fractured, so it's been a while since you   
cracked me with that chair."  
  
Amarantha smiled. "Hello, Dad," she said kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Hello, Princess," he replied, smiling back. "Here to take the guests of honor away so soon?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not exactly. Where's Shane?"  
  
Steve, Duane, and Vince all did a double take, then looked strangely at her. "He's out   
sitting on the back deck."  
  
"Thanks," she replied, then she turned to leave before any of them could say anything. She   
did see the pleased smile on her father's face before she left to go and find Shane.  
  
An uneasy feeling took over her as she approached the back deck. Shane was sitting in a   
chair with his back to her, a drink in his hand. He appeared to be staring out into the   
distance. Amarantha took a deep breath before continuing. Four long years of silence, of   
resentment, of utter and complete hatred-all of it melted away as Shane turned at the sound   
of her high heels clicking on the deck.  
  
He stared up at her, not believing what he was seeing. "Ama…"  
  
Amarantha smiled, stopping a few feet in front of him. "Hello, big brother," she said   
sweetly.  
  
Shane stumbled to his feet, spilling his drink all over the deck. He shrugged and discarded   
his glass into the grass. He scratched his head. "Um…I didn't expect to see you."  
  
"I know," she replied, taking in every inch of him. He was just as perfect has she   
remembered, every bit of him. Even after four years, he was still the same Shane he had   
always been.  
  
"Ama, I don't know what to-"  
  
Amarantha stepped forward and put a finger to his lips. "Then don't say anything. Just   
hold me."  
  
Shane wrapped his arms around her, hugging her so tightly that he almost crushed her ribs.   
Amarantha put her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest as the tears rolled   
over both of their cheeks.  
  
"Ama, I've been waiting for four years to do this," he whispered, his voice cracking.  
  
"I know, Shay," she replied, breathing in the scent of his cologne-Polo, the same as their   
father wore. "I'm so sorry for all that has happened."  
  
"No, it's my fault," he replied, shaking his head. "It's all me. I shouldn't have-oh, Ama,   
I'm so glad you're back."  
  
"Me too," she replied.  
  
And as they held each other, as though they would never let go again, the last song on the   
tape Shane had sent her so many years ago came to Amarantha's mind. The words were true; he   
had waited for her, and deep inside, Amarantha was crying.  
  
  
See the stone set in your eyes   
See the thorn twist in your side   
I wait for you   
Sleight of hand and twist of fate   
On a bed of nails she makes me wait   
And I wait....without you   
  
With or without you   
With or without you   
  
Through the storm we reach the shore   
You give it all but I want more   
And I'm waiting for you   
With or without you   
With or without you I can't live   
With or without you   
  
And you give yourself away   
And you give yourself away   
And you give   
And you give yourself away   
  
My hands are tied   
My body bruised, she's got me with   
Nothing left to win   
And nothing else to lose   
  
With or without you   
With or without you I can't live   
With or without you   
  
~~*THE END*~~  



End file.
